Experts dispute saturated fats heart health claims

26th April 2017 – Claims by a group of heart specialists that saturated fats are not responsible for causing heart disease are being disputed by other heart experts.

An editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine written by 3 cardiologists from the UK and US, contends that the widely held belief that eating saturated fats clogs up arteries and leads to coronary heart disease is "plain wrong".

They say that coronary heart disease is an inflammatory condition that is better prevented by regular exercise, reducing stress and eating "real food".

However, the British Heart Foundation says the claims are "misleading" and that evidence shows that saturated fats boost cholesterol levels and can trigger heart disease.

Clogged arteries

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a condition in which a fatty substance called plaque builds up on the inner walls of coronary arteries. The plaque can eventually clog the arteries and prevent oxygen-rich blood reaching the heart muscles.

Several factors are implicated in causing CHD. These include smoking, high blood pressure, a sedentary lifestyle, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. Cholesterol levels are increased by eating saturated fats which are found in products such as butter, fatty meat, cheese, cake and biscuits.

In support of their argument, cardiologists Dr Aseem Malhotra, of Lister Hospital, Stevenage, Professor Rita Redberg of UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, and Pascal Meier of University Hospital Geneva and University College London, say reviews of available evidence do not back an association between consumption of saturated fat and a heightened risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes or death from any cause among healthy adults.

Low fat foods 'misguided advice'

The authors say that concentrating on the risk posed by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – the so-called 'bad' cholesterol – has been over exaggerated. "Decades of emphasis on the primacy of lowering plasma cholesterol, as if this was an end in itself and driving a market of 'proven to lower cholesterol' and 'low-fat' foods and medications, has been misguided," they write.

Instead they argue that the risk of cardiovascular disease is higher when total cholesterol levels are highest and levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol – the so-called 'good' cholesterol – are lowest.

They say this ratio can be reduced by cutting out refined carbohydrates and substituting a Mediterranean diet containing nuts, extra virgin olive oil, vegetables and oily fish in order to reduce inflammation.

They recommend a brisk walk several times a week and a reduction in long-term stress to further reduce inflammation and lower the risk of dying from heart disease.

"Coronary artery disease is a chronic inflammatory disease and it can be reduced effectively by walking 22 minutes a day and eating real food," they conclude. "There is no business model or market to help spread this simple yet powerful intervention."